Heavy rain, which started before dawn and persisted throughout Sunday morning, wreaked havoc in different communities.
The worst-hit areas are Yola Bye Pass, Sabon Pegi, Yolde Pate, and Modire, as houses have been submerged, farmlands destroyed, and roads ruined, preventing human and vehicular movements.
As of the time of the reports, the casualty figure could not be ascertained as the search and rescue process was ongoing.
A resident of Sabon Pegi, Furera Adamu said: ‘Many lives were lost, especially children. We’re still counting and searching. We never thought this could happen’.
Daily Trust reports that Shagari Low Cost and Sabon Pegi communities have been totally submerged, forcing residents to flee for safety.
The water has not yet receded as many homes are still inhabitable, with their occupants finding shelter in the surrounding countryside.
Electricity supply has been disconnected in worst affected areas, according to reports.
‘We lost everything’, said a resident of Yola Bye Pass, who is mourning said, adding, ‘The water rushed in so suddenly that we had no time to rescue our things’.
It has also swept away vast tracts of farmland, heightening fears of likely food crisis.
Families have been torn apart, and the risk of deadly waterborne disease is increasing as a result of stagnant water and poor sanitation in affected areas.
As at the time of filing this report, the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency had not issued an official statement on the development.
According to a statement on Sunday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, the command, in collaboration with personnel of 23 Brigade, Yola, ‘mobilised to the affected areas to actively engage with the community and render assistance to the people’.
The police spokesman said that two corpses had been deposited at the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital.
